In a small village in Trentino, El Paes dei Presepi. Christmas is celebrated with the Child Jesus. From December 6 to January 6, hundreds of nativities in many different forms can be admired. The whole village becomes a large, evocative nativity scene, bringing the religious and authentic meaning of Christmas back to the center.
Hundreds of nativities in every niche
Christmas brings with it memories, atmospheres, scents, and flavors, but above all, it is an opportunity for deep meditation, for contemplation of God made child, of that little Jesus who was placed in a manger as soon as he was born. And the shepherds, who knew mangers well, were the first to go and worship him in the deep night, following the light and the song of the angels.
At the Paes dei Presepi, there are hundreds of mangers awaiting the birth of the Child Jesus. There are classic, traditional nativity scenes, nativity scenes inspired by the mountains, and nativity scenes from around the world. Each niche, each “volt” (the space in mountain houses that contained the feeding troughs) houses one or more.
Where is El Paes dei Presepi located?
Miola is a village in the Pinè Highlands, easily accessible from Trento, 18 kilometers to the northwest. The Piné Highlands are a mountainous area in the Alps that has retained its authentic character. Amongst the woods and lakes, you can find unique local products such as honey, cheese, meat, cabbage, and ancient flour from mills of centuries past.
The Montagnaga Sanctuary is located in the Piné Highlands, a very important place of Marian devotion, with paths leading to various apparition sites amongst meadows and pine forests. In winter, this place becomes a home for mountain nativity scenes, as does nearby Tesero, in Val di Fiemme, where wonderful nativity scene statues are carved.
Nativities for Christmas with the Child Jesus
The word “presepio” comes from the Latin praesepium, which means manger. It is the space enclosed by wooden boards where hay was placed for animals. We find it several times in the Gospel of Luke, which recounts the birth of Jesus. Eight hundred years ago, St. Francis wanted to make the inhabitants of Greccio understand the true meaning of Christmas. And so, according to tradition, he invented a representation of the Nativity, as similar as possible to what happened in Bethlehem. It was in the Basilica of Assisi that Alfonso Maria de’ Liguori was inspired by the paintings of the Greccio nativity scene to compose “Tu scendi dalle stelle” (You come down from the stars).
The nativity scene has always been important to me. I have one made of ebony wood that was given to me by an old missionary in Uganda, Father Piffer. Another is made of gold, small, set in quartz, a gift from the great missionary doctor Carlo Spagnolli.
There are some living nativity scenes that I hold dear to my heart. The living nativity scene like the one I saw thirty years ago in Ethiopia in a straw hut with Brother Francesco. A woman had just given birth to twins on the straw, and the nun nurses placed them in our hands and cut the umbilical cord. Or Christmas in Bethlehem on a cold night, which I recount in Natale-Hannukka. And also the birth of a baby in a refugee camp in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, during the Daesh attacks. I attended the baptism, while gunshots could be heard in the background. I will never forget that light.
Have a good preparation for Christmas, without forgetting to place the manger that awaits the Baby Jesus at the center.
The nativity scene: the manger in Luke’s Gospel
We find the nativity scene in Luke’s account of the birth of the Baby Jesus:
So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David’s town called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the living-space.
In the countryside close by there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the night. An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’
And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favours.
Now it happened that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.
When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.
